Pulping and conveying system



'Nov. 22, 1938. F. D. CHAPMAN I PULPING AND CONVEYING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Nil! Nov. 22, 1938.

F. D..CHAPMAN PULPING AND CONVEYING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 28, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 5 .452 I BY M, W

ATTORNEYS- Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT. oFFica 2,137,383 f PULPING AND comma sYsrnM Frank D. Chapman, Berlin, we. Application September 28, 1936, Serial No. 102,843

scaima- (Cl. 146-106) The present invention relates in general to improvements in the art of treating semi-fluent commodities, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of apparatus for reducing substances such as fruits and vegetables to pulp and for subsequently transporting the pulp through a conduit.

Generally defined, one object of the present invention is to provide simple and efiiclent pulping or crushing apparatus, and another object is the provision of durable and effective means for transporting semi-fluent substances such as the pulp produced in the crushing apparatus;

It is frequently desirable in canning factories, to be able to reduce commodities such as tomatoes, corn and other food products, to, a pulp which is comparativelyfiuent; and to also provide means such as a pump for constantly and efiectively transporting the relatively thick 26 pulp to a remote portion of the factory for furthe'r treatment or for packing into containers. The'pulping apparatus must be durable and effective in operation, and the pumping mechanism for removing the pulp as produced in the crusher must function automatically to insure complete withdrawal of the crushed material as produced. The entire apparatus should also be relatively compact and operable as a single unit,- and allporticns thereof must also be readily accessible for inspection, cleaningv and removal of parts so that the equipment may be maintained in highly sanitary condition at all times. None of the prior pulping and transporting systems have combined all of these desirable features with safety of operation, and the prior equipment has therefore been more or less objectionable and relatively inetlicient. v I

The present invention contemplates provision of an improved crushing and transporting unit which besides being compact and safely operable, will perform its intended'duty most eil'ectlvely and automatically, and wherein all parts are readily accessible for inspection and cleaning. v

I Another specific object of my present invention is to 'provide improvements in the details of construction of pulping crushers or cutters, whereby the efficiency of such machines is enhanced to a maximum, and the parts thereof may be conveniently assembled or dismantled.

A further specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved pump structure especially adapted to most effectively handle semi-fluent substances such as pulped .fruit and vegetables, or refuse.

' combined, and may also be utilized for .ment and transportation of other commodities.

Still another specific object of my invention is the provision of an improved combined crusher v and'pump, the elements of which are operable in unison so that the product from the crusher is constantly and quickly delivered from the unit 5 as it is produced.

An additional specific object of this invention is to provide various improvements in the con; struction and operation of pulpingmechanisms, whereby such mechanisms may be readily assembled or dismantled, and manufactured at moderate cost.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description. 16

A clear conception of the several features constituting the present improvement, and of the mode of operating combined crusher and pump units built in accordance with the invention, may be had by referring to the drawings accompanye 20 ing and forming a part of the specification 'whereinjike reference characters designate, the

Fig. 3 is a. longitudinal central vertical section through a modified form of pulp conveying Pu p;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal horizontal section through the crusher taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and a top view of the pulp transport- 8 p p;

Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section through the discharge portion of the improved pump, taken along the line 55 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 is another transverse vertical section 40 through the inlet portion of the pump, taken along the line 6-8 of Fig. 1.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as being especially applicable to a crusher and pump unit for pulping and transporting tomatoes, it is not the intent to thereby unnecessarily or undesirably restrict the scope, since the improved pulping and conveying machines may obviously be used either singly or the treat- Referglng to the drawings, the improved pulping an transporting unit illustrated therein; comprises in general a main casing consisting'of detachable. upper, intermediate and-lower sec-' -ing rotor mounted within the chamber formed by the upper and intermediate sections In, H and consisting of a shaft l3 and disintegrating blades I4 mounted therein; a grate member l5 removably supported within the intermediate casing section H and having transverse bars l6 forming slots cooperable with the rotor blades l4; a tubular casing portion l1 formed integral with and extending away from an end of the trough portion l8 of the lowercasing section l2 and having therein four fixed vanes IS; a lower shaft 20 extending longitudinally through the lower casing portions l1, l8 and having secured thereto a conveyor screw 2| and rotor blades 22 located within the casing portion 11; a chain drive 23 connecting the upper and lower shafts i3, 20; a pulley 24 for drivingthe unit; a supply hopper 25 for delivering the untreated or raw material into the disintegrating chamber of the unit from above; a conducting pipe or conduit 26 for delivering the pulped or semi-fluent product tangentially from the end of the tubular casing portion I1; and a base 21 for supporting the-unit. a

The main casing sections III, I I, I2 may all be formed of sheet metal welded at the joints, and are detachably connected to each other by means of bolts 28 coacting with flanges rigidly attached to the casing sections. The upper section III which supports the supply hopper 25 and which cooperates with the intermediate section it to house the disintegrating roto is also provided with an internal downwardly inclined'bafile and guide plate 29 which extends partially over the rotor and substantially tangent to the rotor periphery. The casing section It! is also provided with integral bearing supports or retainers 30 which coact with like retainers secured to the intermediate section I I to confine bearing sleeves 3| in alignment with each other when the casing sections In, H are clamped together, and the rotor shaft I3 is normally journalled in these bearing sleeves 3|. The extreme ends of the retainers 30 may be enlarged for the proper application of auxiliary clamps as shown in Fig. 4.

'The disintegrating rotor shaft I3 is formed from bar stock having a polygonal cross-section, and in the present disclosure this shaft has been produced from hexagonal stock as clearly shown in Fig, 2. The medial portion 32 of the shaft l3 which is located within the crushing chamber, is of the original hexagonal shape, and the opposite ends thereof have been turned down to properly coact with the bearing sleeves and to permit these sleeves to be applied or removed longitudinally over the shaft ends. The disintegrating blades l4 are S-shaped as shown in Fig. 2, and these blades are formed of wear resistant sheet metal and have central hexagonal openings adapted to'snugly fit the medial shaft portion 32. The blades l4 are arranged spirally with respect to the shaft axis by merely applying the successive blades to the hexagonal portion32 of the shaft 13 sixty degrees in advance of each other, and these blades are definitely spaced apart by means of collars 33 and are retained in assembled condition by end collars 34 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The'collars 33 are formed by.

merely cutting pieces of suitable length from a tube or pipe having an internal diameter slightly greater than thediagonal or greatest diameter of the hexagonal shaft portion 32, thereby making it simple to construct and to apply these collars; and the end collars 34 may be locked in The grate assembly rests along one end upon blocks 35 secured to the interior of the intermediate casing section H, and is removably attached to the casing section Ii by cap screws 36 which are accessible for manipulation from the exterior of the main casing. The trough portion I8 of the lower casing section I2 is relatively unobstructed and is located directly beneath the grate member l5, and the crushing chamber is obviously disposed directly above this grate member. The stationary vanes [9 are disposed radially, and are located near the junction of the tubular casing portion l1 with the trough portion l8 and at the delivery end of the latter.

The lower shaft 20 is disposed substantially parallel to the upper shaft l3, and extends throughout the entire length of the lower casing portions I1, l8 and beyond the outer ends thereof. One end of the shaft 20 penetrates the adjacent end of the trough portion l8 through a packing gland 31, and this end of the shaft is detachably connected to an auxiliary shaft secbearing 44 which is slidably associated with the base 21. The bearing 44 is normally fixed in position by means of a bolt 45, and when this bolt is released, the bearing 44 may be slipped longitudinally from the end of the shaft 20. The closure cap or end closure 42 has a sealing gasket 46 which is normally pressed against the adjacent end of the tubular casing portion I! by means of swing bolts and wing nuts 41, and when the nuts." are released and the end bearing 44 has been withdrawn, the closure 42 may be removed to gain access to the interior of the pump casing. The conveyor screw 2| which is of the helical type, is rotatable within'and rather snugly fits the tubular casing portion 11, and this screw may be secured to the shaft 20 in any suitable manner in order to insure rotation thereof with the shaft. As shown in Fig. 1', the pump blades 22 which arerigi'dly attached to the'shaft 20 directly adjacent the end of theconveyor screw 2 I, have the same external diameter as the screw, and these blades are disposed at a slight angle and radiate from the shaft in the plane of the tangential outlet conduit 26. The pump blades 22' may however be slightly longer so that the 'external diameter of the final pump rotor is somewhat greater than that of the conveyor screw 2|, as shown in Fig. 3. In this modifica- .tion; the tubular casing portion I'I' may be provided with a somewhat enlarged end section 41' to accommodate the pump rotor enlargement, and the end. closure 42 may be constructed precisely the same as previously described.

. The pulley 24 which normally drives the unit through the shaft I3 and chain gearing, is preferably weighted for fly wheel effect, and is drivingly attached to the upper shaft IS in any suit able manner. This pulley 24 may be driven from any convenient source of power, and the shaft l3 may if desired, be provided with an idler pulley for belt shifting purposes. The supporting base 21 for the unit may be formed of standard angle irons welded together, and welded construction is preferably resorted to wherever possible.

When the improved combined crushing and pumping unit has been properly constructed, as-

sembled and adjusted, it may be placed in opera-.

tion. It may be placed in operation by merely applying power to the pulley 24, whereupon the upper and lower shafts l3,'20 will be simultaneously operated to rotate the disintegrating rotor andthe pumping elements. The material to be reduced to pulp and subsequently conveyed may be delivered to the machine through the hopper 25,,and as this material strikes the deflecting plate 29 it is thrown into the path of the rapidly revolving cutter blades l4 and is carried toward the grate'member IS. The cutter blades l4 co operating with the grate bars It quickly reduces the admitted material to a pulp, and this pulp is delivered through the slots of the screen member l5 by gravity into the trough portion l8 of r the lower casing section 12. Since the rapidly revolving blades l4 may have imparted considerable desirable to dispel this motion before admitting the pulp to the conveyor screw2l, and the radial fixed vanes l9 perform this function. The conveyor screw 2| constantly withdraws the pulp as produced, from within the trough formed by the lower casing portion I8, and urges the pulp toward the pump rotor or blades 22. The blades 22 which are revolving in unison with the conveyor screw 2|, quickly remove the pulp from the path of the screw and deliver the same tangentially through the outlet pipe 26. The pulp is thus removed from the trough constantly as it is produced by the crusher, and by virtue of the fact that the screw 2i and rotor blades 22have the same external diameter, the constantremoval of the pulp is produced both quickly and effectively.

In order to insure quicker and more complete removal of the pulp from the path of operation of the conveyor. screw 2i, the pump rotor blades 22' may be made of slightly larger external diameter than'that of the screw 2 l, as shown'in Fig. 3, and in that case gravity will aid in causing liquid to flow from within the tubular casing section ll into the pump casing 41'.

It is to be observed that the entire machine may be readily assembled and dismantled, and

may also be conveniently manufactured. The

upper casing section H! may be readily removed from the intermediate casing section I l, by merely releasing the upper clamping bolts 28, and the upper bearing retainers 30 will then be likewise removed with the casing Ill. The entire disintegrating rotor will then be freely accessible for inspection and removal, and when the crushing rotor is removed with its shaft I3, the pulley 24, fan gearing 23 and the bearings 3| may be readily removed in an obvious, manner. Upon removal of the end collars 34, the cutter blades l4 and the collars 33 may be slipped longitudinally from an end of the shaft l3, thereby permitting convenientreplacement of the cutters. After the disintegrating rotor has been removed, the'grate assembly l5 may also be readily removed by mere- 1y withdrawing the cap screws 36.

The pump assemblage may also be conveniently removed for inspection and cleaning. When this closure is released for removal.

to persons skilled in the art.

the wing nuts 41 are released'and the clamping bolts are swung away from the end closure 42,

, Such removalmay be effected upon release of the bolt 45 which normally holds the bearing 44 in place, and the entirerotor may thereafter ,be withdrawn from within the tubular casing portion 11 in an obvious manner, the jaw coupling 39 permitting such removal of the pump rotor. The packing glands 31, 43, howeve'r, prevent leakage of liquid from within the main casing during normal operation of the unit, and the auxiliary shaft section 38 may also be conveniently removed from the supporting base 21. It will thus be noted that all portions of the unit are conveniently accessible for inspection and removal, and the upper inclined plate 29 besides properly directing the inat moderate cost since very few special castings are required in its construction, and the improved disintegrating rotor can" obviously be produced entirely from standard sheet metal, bar and tubular stock. This disintegrating rotor may also be conveniently dismantled for removal of the blades, and the grate assembly I5 is likewise formed of standard bar stock. The pump structure is not only eilicient in'operation, but can also be readily manufactured and conveniently assembled or dismantled.' The end closure 42 serves to permit limit the present invention to the exact details of construction and to the precise mode of use herein shown and described, for various improvements within the scope of the claims may occur While the improvement has been described especially in connection with the treatment of tomatoes, its use is not limited to such service, and the machine may obviously be used for many other purposes.

I claim: a

1. In combination, a casing forming a disintegrating chamber and a horizontal trough beneath said chamber, said trough being devoid of agitating mechanism, means for reducing material to a fluent state within said chamber and for delivering the fluent disintegrated material directly into said trough, a tubular casing portion communicating with an end of said trough laterally beyond said chamber, fixed vanes extending inwardly of said tubular casing portion near said trough, and means within said tubular casing beyond said vanes for withdrawing fluent material from said trough past said vanes.

2. In combination, a casing forming a disintegrating chamber. and a horizontal trough beneath said chamber, said trough being free from agitating structure, means for reducing material to a fluent state within said chamber and for delivering the fluentdisintegrated material directly into said trough, a tubular casing portion communicating with said trough laterally beyond mechanism can be manufactured and assembled said chamber, fixed vanes extending radially into said tubular casing at the junction thereof with said trough, and a rotor within said tubular casing beyond said vanes.

3. In combination, a casing forming a disintegrating chamber and an elongated longitudinally unobstructed trough beneath said chamber, means for reducing material to a fluent state within said chamber and for delivering the fluent material by gravity directly into said trough, a tubular casing portion extending away from an end of said trough, a plurality of stationary vanes radiating into said tubular casing near said trough, and a rotary conveyor screw operable in.

said tubular casing beyond said vanes.

4. In' combination, a casing forming a disintegrating chamber and an elongated longitudinally smooth trough, beneath said chamber, means for reducing material to a fluent state within said chamber and for delivering the fluent material directly into said trough, a tubular casing portion extending away from an end of said trough, a plurality of stationary vanes radiating into said tubular casing near said trough, a rotary conveyor screw operable in said tubularcasing beyond said vanes, and a pump rotor for delivering fluent material away from the discharge end of said conveyor.

5. In combination, a casing forming a disintegrating chamber having a longitudinally unobstructed fluidcollecting trough at the bottom thereof, disintegrating means within said chamber above said trough, a tubular casing portion extending away from said trough and having fixed vanes near the junction thereof with the trough extending longitudinally of said tubular casing portion, a rotor shaft extending through said trough and through said casing portion, and a fluid impelling rotor carried by said shaft within said casing portion beyond said vanes,

said shaft and rotor being longitudinally removable from within said trough and easing portion though the end of the casing portion remote from said trough. i

6. In combination, a casing having a dlsin tegrating device in an upper portion thereof'and an elongated horizontal longitudinally unobstructed trough beneath said device, a tubular casing portion extending away from an end of said trough laterally beyond said device, flat stationary vanes projecting into said casing portion near said trough and extending longitudinally of said tubular casing portion, and a rotor within said tubular casing portion.

7. In combination, a casing having disintegrating means ln an upper portion thereof and longitudinally unobstructed trough beneath said means, a tubular casing portion extending'away from an end of said trough laterally beyond said means, a shaft disposed centrally within saidtubular casing portion, stationary vanes suspended only irom said tubular casing portion and having inner free ends extending toward and spaced from said shaft, and means carried by said shaft ,within said casing portion beyond said vanes for withdrawing fluent material from said trough past said vanes. I 7

FRANK D. CHAPMAN. 

